1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to hand tools, and, more particularly, to foldable multipurpose tool kits or combination tools.
2. Description of the Related Art
Multipurpose tool kits or combination tools are well known in the bicycle industry, in particular. This is due primarily to the fact that only a limited number of tools are required to meet most of the mechanical repair needs of bicycles. As a result, bicyclists and technicians find it beneficial and convenient to combine select tools into a single multipurpose tool kit or combination tool.
Among competitive cyclists and bicycle enthusiasts, it is generally desired for multipurpose tool kits to be as compact and lightweight as possible for ease of carrying while riding, but without compromising the sturdiness or performance of the individual tools of the tool kit. At the same time, it is desirable to include as many tools as possible in the tool kit to ensure the cyclists have available, in one tool kit, the tools necessary to repair most mechanical breakdowns likely to be experienced while riding. It should be appreciated, however, that the desire to provide a sturdy, rigid tool kit with a multiple of quality tools necessarily conflicts with the competing interest of providing a compact, lightweight tool kit.
In attempting to satisfy the foregoing competing interests many combination tool kits have been developed. While the various commercially available tool kit designs may serve their intended purpose, heretofore, none have satisfactorily met all the foregoing competing interests and objectives. Heretofore, all known bicycle tool kits have utilized a shackle or clevis type design in which the individual tools are pivotally disposed on a shaft or pin supported at each end by an eyelet or ear. The eyelets or ears may be disposed in the opposing sidewalls of the tool kit body (much like a jack knife design), such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,481 to Chuang; U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,301 to Rivera; U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,834 to Collins; U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,774 to Chang; and/or U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,004 to Hsiao. In other tool kit designs, the ears or eyelets extend or project from a wide block or base comprising a portion of the tool kit, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. RE37210 to Chuang; U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,678 to Wang; U.S. Pat. No. 6,622,329 to Ostor et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,351 to Hawkins et al.
While the foregoing shackle or clevis type designs minimize torque and bending stresses exerted on the pin when the tools are in use due to the pin being supported at both ends, such shackle or clevis type designs necessarily result in greater weight and size of the tool kit as a result of the additional sidewall or larger block base associated with such designs. Thus, it should be appreciated, that by eliminating one of the sidewalls of the foregoing designs or by eliminating one of the ears or eyelets projecting from the block base of the other foregoing designs, substantial weight reduction can be achieved.
The present invention overcomes the shortfalls of other commercially available multipurpose tool kits by providing a lightweight, compact tool kit comprising a plurality tools necessary for meeting most mechanical repair needs experienced with bicycles, without sacrificing tool quality or performance or the sturdiness or rigidity of tool kit as a whole. In addition, as identified herein, the present invention offers other features and advantages over known multipurpose tool kits or combination tools.